Liberal Group Launches ‘Overtime’ Fundraising Drive For Brian Schatz

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee launched an “overtime” fundraising effort on Monday to help Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz defeat Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the bitter Democratic primary, which is still too close to call.

Voters cast their ballots on Saturday, and as of Sunday afternoon Schatz was leading by less than 1,700 votes; over 230,000 were cast, according to the Washington Post. Due to a tropical storm, not all votes were counted, and the election was postponed in two districts in the Puna region which have about 8,000 voters, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.

“The funds will go straight to the Schatz campaign to fund their grassroots efforts in those precincts,” said Laura Friedenbach, a PCCC spokeswoman.

The PCCC, which says it has already raised $67,000 for Schatz’s campaign, told supporters that ensuring Schatz’s victory was important for the “Elizabeth Warren wing” of the Democratic party.

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Sahil Kapur is TPM's senior congressional reporter and Supreme Court correspondent. His articles have been published in the Huffington Post, The Guardian and The New Republic. Email him at sahil@talkingpointsmemo.com and follow him on Twitter at @sahilkapur.